Friday, March 2, 2012

Painting Ceramic Tiles & Bathroom Makeover

Back in 2010 I had reached my limit with our 1950's pink master bathroom so I had to choose: gut or make-do somehow. If we were going to spend the money to gut-it, then I would want it to be larger but that would mean giving up on the plans for an expanded closet. I also realized that if the pink tiles had been white then I would have just gone ahead with a cosmetic makeover. Since I had success painting the seafoam green accent tiles in our hall bathroom (post here), the decision was made to paint-out the pink.I used two thin coats of Sherwin Williams Prep-Rite Interior/Exterior Bonding Primer and two coats of Benjamin Moore Decorator's White, applied with a sponge brush. I know there are specially formulated paints for ceramic but I didn't want to be exposed to the fumes. Plus, these tiles won't regularly come into contact with water.For years I had kept my eye out for a narrow vanity. That year Ikea came out with the Lillangen, which offers both concealed storage and creative two-sided open storage. This model is 24"w x 16"d x 36" h. I bought the beech version because the wood finish is easier to paint than the white melamine option.The cabinet is painted Farrow & Ball's Pavillion Gray and the walls and ceiling are Benjamin Moore's Bunny Gray. The floors are 1 x 1 Bianco Carrara honed marble surrounded by a border of 3 x 6 honed subway Bianco Carrara.I don't have it pictured here but we had a Panasonic Whisper ceiling exhaust fan installed. We were so happy with the Toto Aquia Dual Flush we put into our hall bath that we used it again here.The Ikea sink only had one opening and I wanted to avoid a single lever faucet so I chose Porcher's Reprise faucet in chrome (now discontinued). The handles are labeled hot and cold and have a nice feel to them. Off to the left is a Bombay Saphire gin bottle converted into a soap dispenser. You might notice the faucet is off center by about a 1/2 inch. I forgot to take into consideration the cold water valve when measuring!Lillangen cabinet and sink: $229Mosaic and subway tiles: $740Installation of floor, labor cost: $800Porcher faucet: $270Toto Aquia dual flush - $392Paint: $100Ceiling exhaust fan and installation: $400

Total cost: $2931

2012 - The shower stall is still pink. It doesn't bother me so I have a feeling that when we finally decide to sell our house, I'll have it professionally reglazed. However, this summer I am planning to replace the old glass door with a new, frameless one. (We also had the carpenter remove the drywall overhang so the opening goes straight to the ceiling.)

YOU INSPIRE ME! I have a similar shade of pink and white tile in our hallway bath. This bath is the one my sons use and the color has been a bone of contention with them for years! How wonderful your economical face lift project turned out to be! It's inspired me to do the same with the pink and white tiles that surround the exterior walls of our bath too! Well done and thanks again for sharing and the inspiration! Linneman House, in Cincnnati, Ohio - Salutes you!

I did something similar in a bath years ago and the painted tiles held up very well. I would urge you, though, to go ahead and have the shower reglazed now so that you can enjoy it yourself. Why wait until you're ready to sell. Every time you walk into the bath now it will seem half-finished to you.

I love what you did and your determination to do it with a reasonable budget. You may have just inspired me to find that Ikea sink/cabinet. I have a lovely brown faux wood model from the 60's at the moment and have done everything but the sink... and now it's Time!

I've had a company come and paint over ugly tile colors in two of my houses. You're right, it was horribly fumey, but after the first time, we left the door closed and sealed off the bottom of the door. After 3-4 days we opened the door and the fumes had gone. Having the weird tile color gone was GREAT!

We at American Standard noticed you mentioned the Porcher Reprise Faucet which is discotinued. However, our JADO Savina collection offers a very similiar style inspried by the Reprise collection. Feel free to check it out http://www.jadousa.com/products/productDetail.aspx?id=4545

The elegant-looking black tiles on both sides of the shower's glass door caught my eye right away. :) Are you the one who came up with this design, Notting Hill? That's one of my favorite movies, by the way.

Doing make-overs’ are pretty exciting! Although you’re bathroom looked good already but by changing a little part makes it even better. For some, white color is a bit boring but the black tile idea added some glints on the background.

I actually haven't seen this done so well before in a DIY project! It looks great. I had some friends who moved into an old, old house in Canada and paid someone to re-do their tile in Toronto. If someone can afford professionals it's nice, but you proved that with a bit of hard work and smart planning, one doesn't always need to go the most expensive route to get a nice look.